A Loving Dad

Scripture –
Proverbs 3:11-12 – My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

Observation –
God’s intention is to be a great dad for us.  It’s not just His intention – it’s reality.  But, the question is – Am I willing to allow Him to be my loving Father?  Will I be responsive to His leadership in my life?  In these verses we see that God sometimes punishes us and corrects us.  He sets us straight.  There are consequences for our sinful actions.  But, it’s not because God gets some kind of jollies out of punishing us.  The truth is – He’s doing it because He loves us.  To take it to the level of this verse – He doesn’t just love us.  Instead, we are “the son in whom He delights”!  What an incredible thought.  God loves me so much that He delights in me.  But, that delight doesn’t mean I’m free from His discipline.  Rather, it’s because of His love for me that He disciplines me at times.  He knows what I need best.  He’s given the task to guide me, shape me, and develop me into the person He made me to be.  The earthly example we have that goes with this is fathers.  Any good father loves his child enough to discipline them.  Any good father delights in his child enough that he trains them in the way they should go.  Fathers are given the responsibility, opportunity, and privilege to train their child in the way they should go.  This is a picture of what God does in our lives when He brings reproof and correction.

Application –
Whenever I sin against God and others I need to willingly accept God’s correction. This is what should lead me to repentance.  It’s through repentance that my relationship with God is put back in order.  So, as hard as it is to accept, I need to be willing to receive God’s correction in my life – knowing that He has my very best interests in mind.

Prayer –
God, Thank You for Your incredible love for me.  Help me to accept Your great love for me by submitting to Your leadership in my life.  May I be grateful for any and all reproof that I receive from You. May that just be a wonderful reminder of Your incredible love for me!  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Giving is About Trusting

Scripture –
Proverbs 3:9-10 – Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

Observation –
While the Proverbs oftentimes don’t tie in with the verses before or after, I believe in this case they do.  These verses say that we should honor God with our “firstfruits.”  In other words – we are to give to God out of the first of our income and produce.  In other places in the Bible this is referred to as the tithe.  We are to take 10% of our finances right off the top and give it to the church for the advancement of God’s Kingdom.  But, how in the world are we to do this?  After all, money is tight for most of us.  How can we afford to give from our firstfruits?  Why not wait until after we pay all our bills?  I believe the answer is found in verses 5-6 which say, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”  I believe the reason God asks for us to give our firstfruits is not because He needs the money.  Instead, we are to give our firstfruits because it’s a tangible way for us to show Him that we trust Him.  We will be faithful with the money that He allows us to have and we will trust Him to provide us with everything that we need along the way.  So, giving to God is less about the money and more about the trust.  Am I willing to trust Him or will I continue to trust in my stuff?

Application –
My family and I tithe.  So, my first response is to think that I’m already living this verse out and I scoot on past it.  But, I need to slow down and really take the time to think a few things through.  Yes I’m giving a tithe.  Yes I’m giving from my firstfruits (we tithe on the first Sunday of every month).  But, am I completely honoring God with my “wealth”?  In other words – am I being a wise steward of all the money God gives me and not just the firstfruits?  Is the way that I’m choosing to spend my money pleasing to God?  Am I honoring God with all of my finances?  For the most part I think I am. But, I need to be more careful day in and day out to make sure that I’m being careful and wise with the money that God has chosen to allow me to have.

Prayer –
God, Thank You for my income.  Thank You for my stuff.  Thank You for providing for me in so many ways.  May I never take that for granted. May I always be grateful for what I have.  Also, may I always honor You with all of my finances and with my life. Teach me to trust You in this area (and every other area as well) of my life.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

The Name of the Lord is a Stronghold

Scripture –
Psalm 9:9-10 – The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Observation –
This psalm is typical in that it talks about feeling oppression and experiencing problems from our enemies.  Yet God will come through every time.  These verses point out that God is our stronghold.  He’s there for you when you feel oppressed.  He’s there for you when you’re having trouble.  All we need to do is to put our trust in Him.  When we do that He will not let us down.  I love how it says “those who know your NAME put their trust in you.”  This isn’t simply knowing or saying the word “God.”  Rather, it carries with it the idea of knowing God intimately and experiencing who He really is.  For the Hebrew people the name of the Lord carried great weight.  They put a great emphasis on people’s names.  That’s because a name carries with it the character of the person.  That being the case, consider these names for God that come from the Old Testament –
Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord is my Righteousness
Jehovah M’Kaddesh – The Lord is my Sanctifier
Jehovah Rapha – The Lord is my Healer
Jehovah Nissi – The Lord is my Banner of Victory
Jehovah Raah – The Lord is my Shepherd
Jehovah Shalom – The Lord is my Peace
Jehovah Shammah – The Lord is There
Jehovah Jireh – The Lord is my Provider
These are some of the names of God because they define His very character.  Based on God’s character He can be trusted.  He is found to be a stronghold in any and every situation.

Application –
I need to do a better job of focusing on the name of God.  According to this Scripture, if I truly know His name I will experience His provision.  In any and every situation of life I will find God to be completely trustworthy. I’m grateful for the opportunity to know God.  I realize that it’s not because of anything that I’ve done that makes me worthy to know God.  Rather, it’s simply because He made the path possible through Jesus Christ.

Prayer –
God, Thank You for always providing for me.  Thanks for being my stronghold.  May I always trust in You.  May I always seek to know Your name.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

You Do Know What Assuming Does – Right?!

Scripture –
Genesis 16:2 – And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

Observation –
For the past 4 chapters God has been telling Abraham over and over and over again that He was making Abraham into a great nation.  God would give him a great land for his huge number of descendants.  God goes as far as saying, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them… So shall your offspring be.”  Abraham believed God.  But, there was just one problem – Abraham was now 85 years old.  This was surely too old to have a child!  But, for the past 10 years God has been promising a son (and a great host of descendants).  How could all of this be?  Abraham and his wife Sarai were unsure.  That’s when we run into our verse for today.  That’s when we find them doing something that’s VERY dangerous – they made an assumption.  (You do know what assuming does – right?!)  They presumed upon God. They tried to force His hand.  They tried to take things into their own hands.  They tried to control things. Sarai looked at her servant Hagar and assumed that this might be God’s plan for them.  So she crafted a plan and encouraged Abraham to marry Hagar as a second wife.  The text goes on from there and we find out that she conceived and had a son a year later.  Problem solved!  Problem solved?  Hardly!  The problem wasn’t solved.  Instead – it started all kinds of problems – continuing into today’s world.  Immediately there was a rivalry/hatred between Sarai and Hagar.  This wasn’t God’s plan at all.  The birth of Ishmael (Hagar’s son) was not the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham.  The promised son Isaac wouldn’t be born for 14 more years – when Abraham was 100!  When God described the birth of Ishmael (Genesis 16:12), we find out that he would be “a wild donkey of man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”  This was immediately experienced as Ishmael and his descendants caused a great deal of problems for Isaac and his descendants (God’s chosen people of Israel).  There is some debate as to the specifics of this next thing that I’m typing. But, it is true that to some extent the modern day problems between Palestinians and Jews stem all the way back to the hatred/rivalry between Abraham’s 2 sons – Ishmael (some of his descendants make up a portion of today’s Palestinian and Arab population) and Isaac (whose descendants make up the Israelites).  This isn’t to say that all Jews and Arabs are enemies and fighting. But, one can’t deny that over the thousands of years that have passed since the time of Abraham there has been tremendous unrest in the Middle East.  Now can you see just how big of a mistake Abraham and Sarai made when they tried to make their plans work instead of waiting on God’s plans to develop in His time?

Application –
How often do I look at a situation and assume I know what God’s plans are?  How often am I impatient to wait on God and I get ahead of Him?  When I do that I’m sinning against God.  When I do that I’m negatively affecting all those involved.  This verse is a reminder to me that God always keeps His word.  But, He doesn’t necessarily do it when and how I think He should.  Because of all this I must never do anything that jeopardizes God’s plan.  I want to be patient and wait on Him. After all, He has the master plan and He knows best – every single time!

Prayer –
God, Thank You for being sovereign.  Thank You for knowing what’s best and encouraging me to do it.  Help me to have the strength and power to obey You.  Help me to always follow You.  May I never try to do things in my own strength and abilities.  May my plans never go beyond yours.  Help me to be patient and wait on You and Your perfect plan for my life  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

3 Words You Don’t Want to Hear from God – “Have Your Way”

Scripture –
Proverbs 1:29-31 – Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.

Observation –
Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings.  They’re intended to teach us how to live our lives.  However, they also point out times that people don’t make wise choices.  In these verses we find an example of people who don’t choose to follow the wisdom of God.  Instead of walking in the way of wisdom, they’re walking in the way of foolishness and sin.  Instead of fearing God they have ignored His counsel.  Instead of listening to God and obeying Him, they have chosen to do their own thing.  But, this is dangerous.  Because at some point, God will turn to this type of person and say, “Have your way.’ At first glance this would look like a good thing for Him to say. But, as these verses point out, this is not good at all.  A person who constantly ignores the ways of God will get to the point that God will allow them to have their way and they end up reaping what they sow.  They “shall eat the fruit of their way.”  In the end this leads to destruction. They are fools because the very thing that they thought would bring them happiness will actually end up destroying them.  This should be a wake up call to all of us to heed the reproof (correction) of God.

Application –
I’m far from being perfect. I still sin all too often. But, I can honestly say that I’m on a path that is walking opposite of foolishness.  My life isn’t highlighted by an outright rebellion to God.  For the most part I’m on the path of wisdom.  However, these verses still very much apply to me.  First, it’s a reminder that I need to continue to strive to follow Christ even closer.  Secondly, I’m reminded that there are WAY too many people around me that are ignoring God’s counsel, wisdom, and direction. They are living openly in defiance against God’s wise direction.  If I don’t seek to reach them with the Gospel then they will eventually find themselves living out the consequences of their foolishness.  They will hear these 3 horrible words from God – “Have your way.”  As a pastor, I want to love people and point them towards the things of God.

Prayer –
God, Help me to be a great pastor, friend, and family member.  If I see people headed to destruction, help me to step up and do something about it.  Help me to always look for opportunities to lovingly point people to the wise thing – following You.  Help me to be a friend to all people.  Help me to love them and care for them.  Help me point them towards You. I’m tired of watching people face the consequences of foolish decisions.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

God’s Steadfast Love For Me

Scripture –
Psalm 5:7 – But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.

Observation –
The psalmist (probably David) knows that he can only come into the presence of God because of God’s steadfast love for him.  In the earlier verses of this chapter, he talks about how God takes no delight in sin.  “Evil may not dwell with you.”  The psalmist knows that on his own, he has no business being in the presence of God.  There is only one thing that makes it possible for him to approach God’s presence.  It’s all because of God’s love for him.  He’s grateful for this love.  It causes him to come to God with reverence and fear.  But, at the same time he’s able to celebrate being in God’s presence.  But, it is only possible because of God’s steadfast love for him.

Application –
This verse is a reminder of what my attitude should be when I come into the presence of God. I must always remember that I have no business being in God’s presence.  But, I am grateful that because of His steadfast love for me I can actually come into His presence and spend time with Him. He desires for me to do that because of His steadfast love for me.  This is the Gospel – plain and simple.  Because God loves me He sent His Son Jesus to come as my sacrificial substitute.  He died in my place.  Because of my repentance and faith in Jesus I have the ability to be put in right standing with God.  This verse is a reminder to me that since I benefit from such an incredible love I should seek to return that love back to God.  I should seek to have a steadfast love for God.

Prayer –
Dear God, Thank You for Your steadfast love for me. Help me to always remember that this is the only reason that I am able to come into Your presence. Teach me how to return this kind of love to You. May my life be full of love for You. May I show this love to the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Peace – I Just Need Some Peace

Scripture –
Psalm 4:8 – In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Observation –
The psalmist (apparently David) is in distress over something.  Apparently his enemies are after him and he’s calling out to God.  As he calls out to God, he remembers that in times past God has heard him and helped him in his moment of distress.  So, he’s calling out to God again.  He reminds himself that God hears him.  He reminds himself that God will answer.  He reminds himself that God is trustworthy.  Because of all this, even though he is in distress, he has joy.  Because of God he can “lie down and sleep” because God “make(s) me dwell in safety.”  Knowing what we know about David, this was probably written when he was being pursued by King Saul.  King Saul was literally trying to have David killed.  Yet, in the midst of all this, David says he’s able to lie down and feel safe because of God.

Application –
I’m not under attack by enemies.  (OK – maybe I am.  I’m being attacked by the enemy of all enemies – Satan.  He doesn’t want me to follow God.  He doesn’t want me to trust Him.  He’s the father of all lies.)  I’m not in physical despair.  My literal safety isn’t in question.  I can lie down and know that I’m safe.  But, I am distressed. I’m discouraged by some things going on in my life.  Yet, I know that God is bigger than all of this.  However, I still struggle at times.  There are times that I am calling out to God, wondering when He’s going to come to the rescue and answer my prayers.  But, it’s at times like this that I need the attitude of this psalm.  God IS in charge. He IS in control.  He DOES keep me safe.  I CAN lie down, even in the midst of my distress, in peace because of God.

Prayer –
God, Help me with these battles that I’m facing. Help me to trust You. Help me to follow You.  Flood my memory of times in the past that You have come to my rescue.  Remind me of this whenever I struggle with confidence.  Give me peace.  Give me joy.  Give me You!  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Walking Right Into Heaven

Scripture –
Genesis 5:24 – Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

Observation –
Many times we can get bogged down in a chapter like Genesis 5.  It seems like nothing but a huge list of names (names that are impossible to pronounce) and their ages.  It goes something like this –
“When person A had lived X number of years he fathered person B.  Person A lived after he fathered person B Y number of years and had other sons and daughters.  Thus all the days of person A were Z number of years, and he died.”
Reading this kind of list can be more than monotonous.  Until you get to Enoch’s story.  His story isn’t any longer than any of the rest.  It only covers 4 verses. But, it’s radically different than the rest of the list.  That’s because instead of saying that he lived “Z number of years, and he died,” it says that “he was not, for God took him.”  In other words, Enoch didn’t die.  Rather, God took him straight to Heaven. But, why did God do that?  This verse tells us that Enoch “walked with God” when he was on the earth.  That phrase is a way to describe the direction that his life went.  Enoch apparently lived his life in such a way that it could be defined or described as one who truly followed God.  This marked Enoch as a special man.  Sure he sinned – he was human after all.  He was not perfect. But, apparently his life was aimed at following God in such a way that his following of God came to define who he was.

Application –
How amazing it would be if I could live my life in such a way that others could define me as one who “walks with God.” I don’t want this for my own notoriety.  Rather, I want to so love God that I follow Him with all that I have.  How much better life would be – for me and for others in my life – if I could simply “walk with God.”  So – it’s time that I get busy pursuing that angle.  May my life be one that brings honor and glory to God.  May I follow Him closely with my life.

Prayer –
God, Help me to truly follow You.  Teach me what that looks like.  Give me the desire and ability to truly walk with You.  May others’ lives be positively impacted because of their relationship with me.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

You Can’t Hide From God (and it’s a good thing!)

Scripture –
Genesis 3:10 – And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Observation –
God had placed Adam and Eve in a perfect garden.  There was no sin and no imperfections.  Until… they disobeyed God.  In chapter 2, God had told them they could eat of every tree in the garden with one exception.  They couldn’t eat of “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”  Satan shows up in chapter 3 as a serpent.  He begins twisting the words of God to try to trick and tempt Adam and Eve.  Eventually both Adam and Eve give in and sin against God.  They only had one command from God and they didn’t follow it.  The world as they knew it was turned upside down as a result of their sin.  Their eyes were opened and they saw that they were naked so they tried to cover themselves with fig leaves.  Then they heard God walking in the garden and they knew they had been caught.  So they quickly hid themselves “from the presence of the Lord God.”  God confronts them for their sins – passing out punishment for both of them.  But, He did this in a loving manner.  I base this on God’s actions in verse 21 – “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.”  God could have struck them down because of their sin.  After all this was a HUGE sin.  The Bible tells us because of their sin, sin entered into the world.  But, God chose to punish them and show them grace in the midst of that punishment.  There was still a way that their relationship could be restored with Him.

Application –
Whenever I sin against God I feel like Adam.  I want to run and hide from God.  I’m embarrassed.  I know that I’m guilty.  I’m scared.  But, God treats me like He treated Adam.  I can’t hide from God. He loves me and He still pursues a relationship with me.  He will punish me for my sin and hold me accountable.  But, at the very same time He showers me with grace and gives me another chance.  Whenever I sin (which I know that I will) I should stay right there and pursue God.  I should accept the punishment for my sin as right and just.  But, I should also lean into God’s grace and forgiveness.  I can’t hide from God and that’s a very good thing!  He loves me too much.

Prayer –
God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for pursuing me, even when I sin.  Help me to live a life that honors You and obeys You. But, in those moments when I sin, help me not to run from You.  Instead, I want to come back to You to repent and to seek forgiveness.  Thank You for being such a loving God!  In Jesus’ name.  Amen

And You Shall Call His Name Jesus

Scripture –
Matthew 1:21 – “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Observation –
Can you imagine what it must have been like to be Mary and Joseph?  They weren’t even married yet. But, she was pregnant.  Unfortunately in our society today, it’s not very uncommon for women to be pregnant before marriage.  But, in those days it was far from the norm.  On top of that – Matthew tells us that Mary was still a virgin, yet she was pregnant.  Needless to say – that’s never happened before (nor will it happen again)!  Then, Matthew goes on to tell us that Mary was pregnant “from the Holy Spirit.”  Again – I ask, can you imagine what it must have been like to be Mary and Joseph?!  Joseph must have not believed Mary.  Would you have believed her “I’m still a virgin, but I’m pregnant from the Holy Spirit” story?  That’s why Joseph decided to do the right thing.  He didn’t want Mary to experience any public disgrace over this matter so he would simply quietly divorce her.  (I realize I just said they weren’t yet married – so how would he have to divorce her?  They were betrothed which was kind of like a cross between our engagement and marriage.  They weren’t married, but it would still require a divorce to end the relationship.)  Before he was able to step out and get a divorce, an angel appeared to him in a dream and confirmed Mary’s story.  The angel told Joseph to not be afraid, but to go ahead and marry Mary.  Then, one of the most wonderful verses in the Bible is found next.  “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  Jesus – the Son of God – the one who was coming to save the world.  He came in order that He could give us the opportunity to be saved, rescued, pulled away from our sins.  Let that take a moment to register with you.  As incredible as the thought that Mary was pregnant (from the Holy Spirit), even though she was still a virgin, this is SO much bigger.  God was sending His Son in order to save us from our sins!

Application –
Every time I say the name Jesus I should have these words replay in my brain – “He will save his people from their sins.”  That’s what Jesus’ name means and that’s exactly what He did while He was here.  I’m grateful that He has saved me from my sins.  Not because of a single thing I’ve done.  But, entirely because of what He’s done.  May I never take that for granted.  May I never just cruise right on past that incredible thought.  Instead, may it be a motivation for me to go out and tell others about who Jesus is. There are many people around me every single day that haven’t experienced salvation from their sins.  But, what am I doing about it?  It’s my desire to do something about it this year.

Prayer –
God, Thank You for my salvation.  May I always remember what that really means.  Now go with me as I look for opportunities to tell others of their need to turn to Jesus in order for their sins to be forgiven.  Help me to tell the lost about Jesus.  May I see the lost saved.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.